• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Babe Ruth Rookie Card Sets Player Record at $7.2M

  • A baseball trading card from 1914 depicting a rookie Babe Ruth playing for the minor-league Baltimore News sold at auction for $7.2 million.
  • It’s the most expensive piece of Ruth memorabilia and the third-most-expensive baseball card ever sold.
A view of a 1914 Baeb Ruth rookie card in a protective casing from the Sportscard Guaranty Company.
Robert Edwards Auctions

Babe Ruth often created baseball history when he stepped foot on the diamond. Now, almost 110 years after his professional baseball debut, one of his baseball cards is making history again.

On Monday, a baseball trading card from 1914 depicting a rookie Ruth playing for the minor-league Baltimore News sold at auction for $7.2 million — the most expensive piece of Ruth memorabilia ever sold.

“It’s miraculous that this card exists,” said P.J. Kinsella, communications director at Robert Edward Auctions, which brokered the sale. “He was on the Orioles for a few months and, by the end of [1914], he was in Providence. That he’s encapsulated in this set, not knowing what he would become … it’s rather remarkable that he’s on this card.”

The Ruth card’s final sale price fell just short of the $7.25 million paid for the famed T206 Honus Wagner last year. Both cards are still well below the record for a sports card set by a 1952 Mickey Mantle rookie card, which sold for $12.6 million in 2022.

The Babe Ruth piece was graded a 3 by card grader Sportscard Guaranty Company; in contrast, SGC rated the record Mantle card 9.5.

Although the Ruth card coming in as the third-most-expensive baseball card of all time should be nothing but an accomplishment, it could be a disappointment for REA, which had initially expected the card to sell somewhere in the range of $10 million.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Sep 10, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first base Bryce Harper (3) watches his ball clear the wall for a home run against the New York Mets during the seventh inning at Citizens Bank Park

Rob Manfred Says Any Talk of MLB Salary Cap Is Premature

“No decisions” have been made regarding an MLB salary cap.

Manfred Says New MLB Rights Deal ‘Replicated’ Money From ESPN Opt-Out

Rob Manfred spoke at the Front Office Sports Tuned In summit.

Pitaro: ESPN, MLB Making Progress on New Deal Talks

The network and league ended their deal earlier this year.

Ken Rosenthal: I Apologized to Photog After Knocking Him Over

Rosenthal backpedaled into the photographer to avoid a Gatorade shower.

Featured Today

Premier Lacrosse League

‘The Circus Is Coming to Town’: Why Upstart Leagues Start on Tour

In their ambitious plans, a traveling schedule is only temporary.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: A detailed view of the MLB Debut patch on the jersey of Patrick Monteverde #44 of the Miami Marlins prior to game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 19, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
September 13, 2025

The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card..

Autographed cards containing a piece of baseball history have upended the market.
September 11, 2025

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
June 24, 2025

Timberwolves’ 4-Year Ownership Saga Ends As A-Rod, Lore Take Over

The unanimous approval brought a clean end to a long-disputed transaction.
Apr 26, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) before game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center.
June 25, 2025

Rockets Get $20 Million in Wiggle Room From New VanVleet Deal

VanVleet first signed with the Rockets in 2023.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
April 20, 2025

Max Verstappen Linked to $300M Aston Martin Deal Ahead of Miami GP

Aston Martin is currently seventh in the constructors championship.
March 27, 2025

Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions Gets PE Boost

The Hall of Famer’s company gains another prominent backer.
March 20, 2025

High School Sports Power Signs Eight-Figure Rights Deal in First

The deal pays roughly $1 million annually, FOS has learned.
March 20, 2025

Maxx Crosby’s Agent: Edge Rushers Set to Dominate NFL’s Non-QB Market

Maxx Crosby just signed a three-year, $106.5 million extension.